Conjugated Linoleic Acid-Curcumin Attenuates Cognitive Deficits and Oxidative Stress Parameters in the Ethidium Bromide�Induced Model of Demyelination

Oxidative stress has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Curcumin (CUR), an antioxidant compound, can be a potent treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, such as MS. CUR has poor bioavailability; therefore, it is used in nanoforms to increase its bioavailability. In the present study, the effects of CUR and conjugated linoleic acid-CUR (Lino-CUR) on spatial memory and oxidative stress in a putative animal model of MS were investigated. Forty-nine adult male Wistar rats (250 ± 50 g) were randomly divided into seven groups (n = 7): control, sham, ethidium bromide (EB), CUR (20 and 40 μg/kg) + EB, and Lino-CUR (20 and 40 μg/kg) + EB groups. Following MS induction, the groups were treated for 5 consecutive days. Finally, spatial memory and levels of oxidative stress parameters were assessed. Treatment with CUR and Lino-CUR at two doses significantly improved spatial memory and reduced oxidative stress parameters in the experimental models of MS. Furthermore, the effects of high dose (40 μg/kg) of Lino-CUR were more remarkable. These findings suggest that the microinjection of CUR in its synthetic form Lino-CUR significantly ameliorated spatial memory, through the reduction of oxidative stress markers in the brain of studied animals as a rat model of MS

Ghee based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with improved wound-healing effects: Ghee based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)

Ghee or butter oil is an excellent medium for preparing herbal cosmetics and Ayurvedic medicines formulations. However, water immiscibility restrict its use as a potential carrier system in particular in lipid-based topical formulations. In this work, we prepared ghee-based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) using olive oil as liquid lipid, Tween 60 as surfactant and glycerol as co-surfactant by hot emulsification–ultrasonication method. Then the loaded NLC with a mixture of ethanolic extracts of Achillea millefolium, Horsetail and Plantago major L. was prepared in the same way. NLCs were characterized in terms of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI) and creaming index. The particle size of NLCs was lower than 100 nm and the zeta potential displayed the negative charge in all formulations. The results of creaming index showed that NLCs were stable for up to 8 weeks under refrigerated conditions. The wound healing effects of the NLCs were evaluated using an excision model in rats. The NLCs displayed significant increased wound contraction and decreased epithelialization period when compare to standard drug phenytoin. This study showed that the ghee-based formulations are much more efficacious in NLC for wound healing promotion in comparison with their macroemulsion form. The formulated system is easy to produce and to apply and could be favourable for topical application in pharmaceutical industries